Superman Christopher Reeve tragically paralysed in a riding accident is the subject of a powerful new documentary premiered at the recent Sundance film festival to tears and applause. He survived nine years after the fall that paralysed him from the neck down, becoming an advocate for the disabled. His three children found he engaged more with them on a personal level after the tragedy. “I needed to break my neck to learn some of this stuff,” he said.
He was born 25 September 1952 3.30 or 3.12 am New York with his parents divorcing when he was four. He had a difficult relationship with his father who was achievement-focused and said of him: “It was difficult to breathe easy when he was around.”
He had a stellium in Libra with a Sun conjunct Mercury, Saturn, Neptune, Venus also in Libra. Two key factors marked his chart. Firstly a lucky, successful Jupiter in Taurus conjunct his Midheaven square Pluto opposition his North Node in crusading Aquarius, so he was not short of confidence. The other was a yod onto Mars in Sagittarius (conjunct Moon) inconjunct Uranus sextile Jupiter. That plus his Mars being trine Pluto on his Ascendant is suggestive of an overly assertive and scary father. Mars on the apex of a yod would give him anger issues and a tendency to be either overly assertive or under with difficulties modulating his forward drive. Mars inconjunct Uranus is explosive, disruptive and accident prone.
His accident on 27 May 1995 has a Mars Uranus signature writ large. His Progressed Mars was exactly opposition his Uranus. Tr Uranus was exactly opposition his Solar Arc Mars and tr Mars was conjunct huis SA Uranus. There was also a yod of tr Neptune sextile tr Pluto at 29 Scorpio inconjunct his SA Midheaven as his life changed irrevocably.
Tr Neptune was just on the cusp of his 6th house of health at that point with tr Uranus having moved in a couple of years before.
During his time in hospital, he was “unable to avoid thinking the darkest thoughts” with hallucinations clouding his mental state, unable to move beneath his neck. There was fighting within his family as his mother thought he should be taken off life support.
There was always something ironic or spooky about the superhero being brought low. The Jupiterian who flew too high and was cut down. Not that he seemed filled with hubris before his accident but the Superman movie was one of the first blockbuster successes and he became a cultural icon.
Now that I look he had another yod of Saturn Neptune sextile Mars inconjunct Jupiter. Jupiter Saturn has – for a few – associations with Icarus who flew too near the Sun melting his wings and he crashed to earth. Tr Pluto was conjunct his Solar Arc Saturn at the time of his accident. Which also makes sense.
He evidently disliked the trappings of playing of Superman. “I am not a hero, never have been, never will be” he said at the time.
Later he added “ a hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”
The astrology was tragically spot on for his life changing accident.
ADD ON: His wife Dana, an actress and singer, died a year after him of lung cancer. Born 17 March 1961 in New Jersey, she had a Pisces Sun and Moon in Aries which fell in Chris’s 8th house – a deep connection. Her Saturn Jupiter conjunction fell in his 6th house of health; and her Uranus was conjunct his Ascendant Pluto as she helped him turn his life around after his paralysis. Their relationship chart was riddled with yods. Pluto at 29 degrees sextile Neptune inconjunct Jupiter. Sun at 29 degrees sextile Neptune inconjunct South Node. Venus sextile South Node inconjunct Sun.
Fated to be together.
ADD ON: Will Reeve, their son. 7 June 1992 12.37pm North Adams, Massachusetts, now a tv anchor with ABC news, has a charming and chatty 10th house Sun, Venus and Mercury in Gemini in his 10th house trine a hard-working, emotionally detached Saturn in Aquarius; with a Virgo Moon on his Ascendant conjunct a 12th house Jupiter.
He has two yods of an 8th house Mars in Aries sextile his Mercury Sun inconjunct Pluto in the communicative 3rd house; and Pluto sextile a highly-strung Uranus Neptune in Capricorn inconjunct his Sun. Clearly he is in the right business, putting news and information across. Though his 8th house Mars inconjunct Pluto would give him an uncomfortable sense of being at the mercy of forces he could not control. When his father died suddenly in 2004 tr Uranus was square his Solar Arc Pluto, pulling on one of his yods.
In Vedic astrology there are certain nakshatras where if the moon transits when a person dies 5 people known to them pass away in quick succession.
An accupunturist told me congestion in the lungs is Grief ( one treatment cleared 6 months of a rattling cough following a sudden death ). This came to mind when I heard of Dana Reeve’s death.
Larryc’s post made me wonder what their son, Will Reeve, has in his chart. To lose both parents in childhood like that is astounding.
*A*Fan that is so insightful – thanks Just read this on the interenet:
“When someone is sad, they hold their breath and oxygen is decreased. The emotional blockage of not letting go and the symptom of grief affects the receiving and letting go action of the lungs”
Wow ~ indeed the internet ( ie this site, right now ) IS amaze.
Thank you for that Make Total Sense description.
But Christoper also had Jupiter in retrograde, which I have always interpreted as unlucky or fated.
Thank you Marjorie!
Moving stuff.
What’s also ironic/spooky is that Reeve’s beloved wife, Dana, died a year after his death. She was only 45. Cause of death: lung cancer, yet she had never smoked. Very Strange. Perhaps a deep connection that transcended the physical? Have to wonder if he desperately wanted her with him in his new “home,” hence her untimely death.
Probably both ways. I thought it spooky at first but in reflection, she died from loneliness. The body will manifest emotional trauma in many ways.
Larryc – agree about the body manifesting stress/grief. Particularly so I think, with a cancer placement/signature in the chart (Sun, Mars, South Node etc).